Switzerland will support the new peace process in Colombia as a guarantor country, alongside Ireland, Norway and Venezuela in particular, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. It will be present during the negotiations and will provide political support and technical assistance.
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes the opening of peace negotiations on Monday between the Colombian authorities and the rebel group Estado Mayor Central de las FARC-EP (EMC).
Active in Colombia for many years, Switzerland has assumed, at the request of both parties, an official mandate as guarantor country of the negotiations.
The creation of the EMC dates back to the conclusion of the 2016 peace agreement that part of the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had refused to sign.
When negotiations opened, both sides signed a ceasefire agreement with immediate effect. The latter, provisionally decreed for three months, aims to improve the humanitarian situation in the regions where the EMC is active.
The Colombian government aims, as part of its peace policy, to involve all armed groups, if possible, in the establishment of total peace.
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